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From Robert Marus: Mayor Vincent C. Gray, District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Terry Bellamy, former DDOT Directors, federal transportation officials and DDOT employees celebrated DDOT’s 10th anniversary today at the department’s headquarters. During the event, Mayor Gray issued a proclamation declaring June 7, 2012 “DDOT Day” in the District of Columbia, toured DDOT’s state-of-the-art offices at 55 M Street SE and congratulated staff for a decade of success and significant milestones.

“On behalf of the 618,000 residents of the District of Columbia, I am proud to celebrate 10 years of accomplishments by DDOT, a national leader in connecting our communities,” said Mayor Gray. “DDOT's mission – improving our lives via innovative transportation approaches – is in harmony with our citywide vision for uniting all of our residents, organizations and businesses in the common purpose of making the District of Columbia one of the best and most sustainable cities in the world.”

Formerly a division of the Department of Public Works, DDOT was created under the District Department of Transportation Establishment Act of 2002. As a Cabinet-level agency with the same stature as other state transportation agencies, DDOT has been able to bring vast improvements to the District’s streets, sidewalks, alleys, bridges and streetlights; expand the city’s tree canopy; improve both public space and traffic management; and add new choices to meet the contemporary transportation needs of the city’s growing population, including the D.C. Circulator bus system and Capital Bikeshare.

Today, DDOT has more than 900 employees and an annual budget of approximately $400 million and is nearing completion of the largest project in its history, the $300 million replacement of the 11th Street bridges.

“In our relatively short history as an agency, DDOT has helped bring the District of Columbia’s transportation system into the 21st century,” said Director Bellamy. “Today, our city is better connected, more prosperous and safer — thanks in no small measure to the hard work by our DDOT team on our infrastructure and services. I want to thank the DDOT staff — past and present — for a great first 10 years, and I can’t wait to see how far we go in the next 10.”

DDOT will continue, throughout the remainder of the year, to mark its 10th anniversary by celebrating the completion of significant project milestones, including the 11th Street Bridge Project.

DDOT’s mission is to develop and maintain a cohesive, sustainable transportation system that delivers safe, affordable and convenient ways to move people and goods while protecting and enhancing the natural, environmental and cultural resources of the District.

For more information about DDOT, please visit the agency’s website at ddot.dc.gov.